The 2012 Express-Times All-Area Boys Basketball Team

Express-Times Photo | CHRIS POSTFreedom's Joe Lococo charges for the basket against East Stroudsburg South in a District 11 Class AAAA basketball tournament game on Feb. 22 at Freedom High School. Lococo was named to The 2012 Express-Times All-Area First Team.

There's no one with extraordinary height, no diminutive point guards who are dwarfed by the giants inside.

No player stands more than 6-foot-5 and there's no player under six feet.

There's really no pure shooters but a host of slashers, rebounders and outstanding passers not only from the perimeter but from the post as well.

There's no 1,000-point scorer in the group but the pure skill of putting up points is not this quintet's forte. Their aggregate team record is 89-37, which includes two division championships, four District 11 appearances, one NJSIAA appearance and one PIAA playoff invite.

Terry averaged 14.6 points per game but really ramped up his game in the postseason, averaging 20 points in Wilson's three District 11 games and one PIAA contest. The Warriors went 13-9 during the regular season, including 8-8 in the Colonial League, but they played at a higher level in the postseason with Terry, who inexplicably didn't even make the first two teams of the Colonial League all-star unit, leading the way.

"This is a young man who just loves to play basketball," Wilson coach Bob Frankenfield said. "He wanted me to open the gym the day after our season so he could go in and work out. But I gave him the whole week off. He needed a break."

Noack averaged 13.3 points per game and helped lead Liberty to a 14-9 record and a District 11 postseason berth. The first-team Lehigh Valley Conference choice often showed the skills of a small or power forward.

Arcona, a 6-3 senior who played all five positions on the floor for Hackettstown (20-6) at some point this season, averaged 14.2 points per game but pure scoring was far down the list in his roundball virtues. He was able to successfully pass out of double-teams, rebound, defend and take charges, which he developed into a high art form.

"I told Zach once he had to be close to holding the NJSIAA record for taking charges, something a lot of kids won't do," Hackettstown coach Mike McDonagh said. "He took 50 for us this season; in fact, he took five charging fouls in one game. You never see a team's best player do something like that."

Ringland, a Colonial League first-team selection, led Bangor with a 15.2 points per game average and he seemed to play his best in the bigger games.

If there was an award for most improved player on the team, Ringland would win it hands down. He averaged just 5.8 points per game as a reserve for the Slaters in 2010-11 but a hard summer of work turned him into one not only a starter but one of the five best players in the region.

Lococo is the first Freedom player to be named MVP in any conference, earning that distinction in the LVC this season.

The 6-2 Lococo averaged 14.3 points per game and also led the team in offensive rebounds (53). The three-year starter finished eighth on Freedom's all-time scoring list with 797 points.

A
three-year starter, Lococo was the face of a Freedom (21-5) team that
had its most wins since 1980-81. Despite missing three games with a rib
injury, Lococo averaged 14.3 points per game, which included a
career-high 24 twice. Lococo, who's undecided about his college plans,
also led the team in offensive rebounds with 53 and averaged 5.7 per
game overall. He also added 33 steals and 26 blocks. Lococo shot 40
percent from the floor (99-for-246), including 37 percent from the
3-point line (40-for-109). He also converted 75 percent of his free
throws (92-for-122). Lococo finished his career with 797 points, which
puts him eighth on Freedom's career list; and he also pulled down 311
career rebounds, had 84 steals and 44 blocked shots. His 109 career
3-pointers ranks No. 2 on Freedom's all-time list.

A
6-foot-5 junior who has played for Liberty's varsity team since his
freshman season, Noack spearheaded a young Liberty squad that went 14-9
and qualified for the District 11 Class AAAA tournament. Noack averaged
13.3 points per game with four games of 20 points or more, including a
career-high 28 against Bethlehem Catholic on Dec. 16. He shot 57.5
percent from the floor (100-for-174), 74.6 percent from the free throw
line (91-for-122) and even made five 3-pointers in 17 attempts (29.4
percent). Noack averaged 6.4 rebounds per game and was credited with 22
blocked shots. Liberty will undoubtedly be the preseason pick in the
Lehigh Valley Conference next season since all five starters -- Noack,
K.J. Williams, Gerald Vital, Pat Donnelly and Chevon Williams -- return.

If there was an award for the most improved player in the region, Ringland would have walked off with the honor. A reserve as a junior, the 6-4 senior worked tirelessly over the summer and entered the season as a starter for the Slaters (19-6). "Justin was a very difficult matchup for opposing teams because he played inside and out," Bangor coach Bron Holland said. Part of an imposing Bangor front line that included forwards Alex Colton and Kerry Reider, Ringland averaged 15.2 points per game, shooting 49.4 percent from the floor (131-for-265) and 66.7 percent from the foul line (70-for-105). He also averaged 5.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game and nearly a block per contest. Ringland plans to attend Penn State University where he wants to major in pre-med.

A 6-foot junior, Terry excelled, particularly in the postseason. He averaged 14.6 points per game, including 20.0 throughout the District 11 and PIAA tournaments, and also led the Warriors in assists with 3.2 per game. He was also second on the team in steals (38) and free-throw shooting (68.9 percent), and added 3.1 rebounds while shooting 41.6 percent from the floor. Terry shot 27.2 percent from 3-point range during the regular season, but upped it to 38 percent in the postseason. "Gerald's assist-to-turnover ratio was almost 2-to-1 and that's really good for someone who handles the ball as much as he does," coach Bob Frankenfield said. Terry scored a career-high 26 points in the district title game and had 17 points or more in each of the Warriors' last six games.

The frontman for Hackettstown's most successful season in 24 years, the 6-foot-3 Arcona may be the most versatile member of the first team. He played all five positions on the floor. "Zach did everything for us," Hackettstown coach Mike McDonagh said. "He sacrificed his body like you wouldn't believe. His natural position is forward but we had to use him at the point to take the pressure off our young guards." Arcona averaged 14.9 points, eight rebounds and five assists per game. He shot 65 percent from the free throw line and 50 percent from the field. He also had 30 blocked shots. Against Jefferson late in the year, he fell just two assists short of a triple-double with 19 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. By McDonagh's estimation, he also took between 45 to 50 charges, including five in one game.